GROWING concerns about trouble on the streets of Looe, especially over the weekend period, has prompted town councillors to discuss following Liskeard's example and hiring extra policing from the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary.

Police representative PC Barry Mills was able to give councillors costings for the services of one officer which he said was £37.56 per hour, for a minimum of four hours, which totalled £154.24, or £15,000 per annum for two nights a week.

Councillor Don Webb said he believed the situation in the town to be improving of late with good co-operation from the police, and thought that hiring extra constables would jeopardise everything that had been worked for. 'We are already paying for a police force I don't agree with paying twice' he said. He said it would be better to gauge the situation this summer especially as there was good service from the Special Constabulary.

Frank Wright said pressure should be put on the police to provide more cover in the town, and Roy Perriment said that as the police in Devon and Cornwall were being allowed to recruit an extra 150 constables, Looe wouldn't benefit if it was already privately hiring policemen.

However, Jimmy Dingle said many shop fronts were still getting broken and people were being harrassed in the town centre at night. 'Are we going to sit here and do nothing?' he asked. 'The whole of the main street will have security shutters in three year's time if that is the case. 'I don't want us painted as a town that does nothing'.

Councillor Dingle's proposal, seconded by Dave Peat, that the council should investigate the possibility of hiring a constable between May and September was carried by nine for and five against.